A cold wind whipped through the streets of Canterlot producing an eerie whistle as it went. A young pegasus mare's ear twitched slightly and the breeze and it's accompanying sound blew past her. Fallow Cloud shivered slightly and cinched her saddle a little bit tighter as the cold air of the mountain city made her grass green fur stand on end. Fluffing her feathers up to better protect against the chill she continued her silent march.
Her face betrayed no emotion as she approached the end of a familiar alley. She walked like a mare who was on her way to the gallows as she mentally prepared herself for this nights work. Each hoofbeat sounded like thunder in Fallow's ears as a smile brought it's way to her face and she fell into the familiar act of Candy Sprout, mare of the night.
Relax Fallow, She told herself,You've done this at least a hundred times tonight will be no different. Just remember you are Candy right now. You are a professional and sultry mare. You make stallions' heads turn and mares jealous at the sight of you. You just have to get through another month or two then you can go back and finish you college thesis. You will show them all.
Fallow lowered her eyelashes and let her smile become more natural and set her tail to swishing back and forth. Her gait became more confident, more aware of how good she looked as she began to walk and down the street known as Waif's Way. Waif's Way and about a dozen other street's comprised Canterlot's poor and seedier section. A place where fights were commonplace and the sins of ponies were more plentiful than water. Lifting her left wing to readjust her feathers, Fallow caught the glint of steel hidden among her primary feathers. Sighing as her wing settled against her side and her mind put at ease she continued her pacing. After all nopony with more than two brain cells walked Waif's Way without some sort of weapon.
Walking back and forth along Waif's Way gave her quite the view of all the current goings on. She watched silently as a young colt known only as Seedy crept up behind a lone stallion a small knife in one hoof. Carefully he ran the knife along part of the bottom of the stallions saddle bags and caught the coins in his hoof before they could make any noise. Smiling at his catch as he backed away from the now poorer stallion he looked up and saw her looking straight at him. Slowly she smiled and gave him a small wink and continued on as the colt scampered off not believing his luck. She knew Seedy's father Heavy Hoof, and while she did not like him, he always paid well for her services. Besides it's the idiots own fault for coming down here and not keeping an eye on his bags.
It was not too long after when she saw her first mark for the night. A unicorn stallion with a storm cloud grey coat, a bright orange mane, and a look on his face like he had been asked a hard question, walked slowly down the street. Letting her recently straightened white hair fall down in front of one eye to she trotted up to him.
"Hey there big boy." Fallow called as she trotted up to him. "I don't think i've seen a stallion who look so alone. Could you use a little company?" Slowly she walked around him like a cat would. Bringing her tail up to brush against his chin she let a sensual giggle escape her lips. "Hehehe, if you pay the right price your evening will be ever so nice." Letting her flanks brush up against his saddle bags she heard the clink of heavy coins inside as she jostled them about. Silver? Or maybe even, gold? If her smile was fake before it was completely genuine now.
"Um, I-I don't know if that's a good idea." He stammered out.
"Oh, come one tall, dark and gorgeous. What's the harm?" She let the last word purr out her mouth as she continued to circle him.
"I don't think momma would be very happy if i did..." He murmured out. "Besides, I don't even know your name." Fallow's back went a little rigid at this new. His 'momma' huh? With the way he's talking and the money in his saddle bags, add the fact he's a unicorn and I would bet my wings that this bright young buck is noble born and raised. If her smile could get any bigger it would have.
"I'm Candy Sprout, and you need to relax. After all, how would your 'momma' even know." Se began to push him slightly towards a nearby hostel at one end of the street. Slowly he began to move without her slight nudges.
"Well, I do suppose it couldn't hurt. My name is Silent Vigil by the way Miss Sprout."
"Oh, a handsome name for a handsome stallion. And, Candy is just fine." As they entered the hostel a pair of large stallions sat in a corner by a the fireplace. Walking up to the counter she spotted the owner and proprietor, a mare by the name of Warm Hearth. Smiling at Warm she made sure her tail was facing the fire place and whirled it in three circles making sure it connecting with her prizes flank each time. "Just the usual Warm." The unicorn mare behind the counter grunted in acknowledgment and tossed a key at her before returning to a newspaper that lay abandoned to the side.
Dragging Silent behind her up the stairs she came to the room she had requested and opened it with the ease of long practice. Closing the door behind them she pushed the stallion onto the bed.
"Now," she proclaimed,"let me show you the time of your life."
***********************
Slowly Fallow Cloud opened her eyes and looked across the bed at the sleeping form of Silent Vigil. A low buzz accompanied his breathes as he quietly snored away. Disentangling herself from his legs without waking him was tricky but not new to her. Silently she dropped onto the rug beside the bed and looked around. Her saddle and his bags lay forgotten in a pile by the door. Carefully creeping her way to the door she slid her saddle on and began to rummage through his bags.
Fallow began to pull out and examine the contents of the young stallions bags. Clothes, book, quills, ink, parchment... AHA! JACKPOT! Grabbing the object of her attention she pulled it out. A beautiful scroll of the finest parchment met her eyes. [ i] And with a royal seal no less. Ha, I knew he was a noble. Placing the the scroll with a gentleness usually reserved for her hanging garden she placed the scroll beside her. Grabbing the last thing of any interest she tugged the coin pouch out of the saddle bag and nearly squeaked at the weight of it. This thing is heavy, I wonder... Yes it is! tugging open the drawstring Fallow could only stare at the wealth this stallion had been carrying on him. The bag was full of silver bits with a few gold scattered about in it. There was more than enough to cover her remaining tuition and then some.
Pulling a pair of silver coins out she tucked the pouch beneath a wing as she pulled herself to her hooves and walked towards the door. There sitting outside waiting patiently were the two stallions from before sat patiently waiting for their cue. She had worked out a deal with these two muscle heads and their boss that if she got any sort of noble or rich customer she would bring them here for the these two lugs to hold for ransom. In exchange she got to keep whatever they had in their bags and the boss would tell them that she left some time in the night.
"He's all yours boys." She whispered nodding back towards the bed. "Try not to rough him up too bad, he's gotta be somepony high up to have a scroll with the royal seal attached." Placing the two silver bits on the floor in front of her , she looked between the two stallions. "For your discretion of course." They both nodded in agreement and moved to let her past.
Taking care to move down the stair as quietly as possible she slipped out the door of the hostel and into the night. Her luck seemed to be looking up. She had three months till the next semester at the college started. Maybe I can take a vacation. She thought smiling as she flew home trying not to let her conscience weigh her down too much.
